Fall Wine
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Origin & History
The origin of Fall Wine is unknown. Elliott states that it was introduced into the West from the garden of Judge Jonathan Buel, Albany, New York, about 1832. Despite being evidently an old Eastern fruit, it became little known in the Eastern states and was a great favorite in the West as a table fruit. Warder notes that Downing supposed the lack of Eastern cultivation was because the fruit is there defective; Thomas similarly observes that it is "often scabby at the East," while in virgin soil it is remarkably fair and handsome. It was much grown in Indiana and Illinois. Beach reports that it was not extensively cultivated in New York and by 1905 was seldom or never planted in that state, and was not recommended for commercial planting there.
Beach cautions that Fall Wine should not be confused with Twenty Ounce, which in some sections of New York is known under the name of Wine apple. It is also quite distinct from the true Wine, which is a large, showy apple that ripens in midautumn and often keeps well through the winter.
Tree
Tree of medium size, rather slender and slow-growing, but healthy. Branches spreading (Warder) to drooping (Beach, Elliott), especially when in bearing state. Moderately vigorous and moderately long-lived (Beach).
Sources disagree on bearing habit: Warder describes the tree as "annually productive," and Elliott says it produces "moderately, but annually." Beach, however, states it "yields good to heavy crops biennially."
Elliott notes the tree produces large, beautiful fruit on the rich Western soils and fruit of medium size on soils of moderate quality.
Fruit
Size: Medium (Warder) to medium or above (Beach); Elliott and Thomas both give medium to large.
Form: Oblate and handsome (Warder). Roundish oblate, somewhat ribbed, with sides often unequal (Beach). Roundish, flattened (Elliott). Roundish-oblate (Thomas).
Stem: Long and slender (Warder). Medium to rather long (Beach). Slender (Elliott, Thomas).
Cavity: Wide, regular, uniformly green (Warder). Obtuse to somewhat acute, wide, shallow to moderately deep, sometimes lipped (Beach). Deep (Elliott).
Calyx: Small, closed, with reflexed lobes (Warder). Small to medium, closed or partly open, with lobes long, narrow, and reflexed (Beach). Half closed (Elliott).
Basin: Abrupt, wide, regular or wavy (Warder). Deep, wide or medium in width, rather abrupt, furrowed (Beach). Open, shallow (Elliott).
Skin: Surface very smooth, waxen-yellow, almost completely covered with bright and often deep red, upon which it is indistinctly striped; dots minute (Warder). Clear yellow washed with red which on the exposed cheek deepens to a beautiful bright blush, indistinctly striped with carmine; dots yellowish-brown or russet (Beach). Rich red marbled over clear yellow, and with many spots or specks of brownish — sometimes faintly striped (Elliott). Rich red, faintly striped on a rich yellow skin (Thomas).
The fruit is inclined to crack open if left on the tree till ripe (Warder). It is very tender and apt to drop to a considerable extent before it is fully mature, and is not a good shipper (Beach).
Flesh & Flavor: Yellow, breaking, tender, fine-grained, juicy; flavor mild sub-acid and very aromatic; quality best (Warder). Tinged with yellow, tender, juicy, aromatic, very mild subacid or almost sweet; very good for dessert but only fair for culinary use (Beach). Yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, delicious, sub-acid, vinous (Elliott). Yellow, crisp, tender, juicy, with a mild, rich, scarcely sub-acid flavor (Thomas).
Core & Seeds: Core medium, regular, closed, meeting the eye; seeds numerous, angular or plump (Warder). Calyx tube long, narrow, funnel-form; stamens median; core medium, axile; cells symmetrical, closed or slightly open; core lines clasping; carpels broadly roundish, tufted; seeds medium size, rather wide, acute (Beach).
Season
September and October or later (Warder). September to January (Beach). September to November (Elliott). Mid-autumn till winter (Thomas).
Uses
A table and market fruit of the best quality (Warder). Generally esteemed wherever it is known on account of its excellent dessert qualities, but not much valued for culinary use and not a desirable commercial variety (Beach).
Subtypes & Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Elliott's figure exhibits the fruit from two soils, illustrating the size difference between rich Western soils and soils of moderate quality.
The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) lists Fall Wine in a variety-characteristic table only:
Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.
Fall Wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M | rob | ry | B | f | a | 4* | 12* | 2*
Book Sources
Described in 5 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1894)
- The Vineland Nurseries (Kelsey & Co. , Proprietors), St. Joseph, Missouri (Office: 13th and Atchison Sts., 2 Blocks East of the Citizens St. Car Line) — 1894
View original book sources (5)
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Fall Wine.
Origin unknown. A great favorite in the West as a table fruit; little grown in the Eastern States, whence it was brought. Downing supposes this is because the fruit is there defective. In virgin soil it is remarkably fair and handsome.
Tree of medium size, rather slender, but healthy, spreading, and annually productive.
Fruit medium, oblate, handsome; inclined to crack open if left on the tree till ripe; Surface very smooth, waxen-yellow, almost completely covered with bright, and often deep red, upon which it is indistinctly striped; Dots minute.
Basin abrupt, wide, regular or wavy; eye small, closed; Calyx reflexed.
Cavity wide, regular, uniformly green; Stem long, slender.
Core medium, regular, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, angular or plump; flesh yellow, breaking, tender, fine-grained, juicy; flavor mild sub-acid, and very aromatic; Quality best, for table and market, during September and October or later
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)FALL WINE.
REFERENCES. 1. Mag. Hort., 14:114. 1848. 2. Cole, 1849:108. 3. Ib., 1849:109. 4. Elliott, 1854:77. 5. Horticulturist, 10:87. 1855. 6. Hooper, 1857:36. 7. Downing, 1857:78. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1860:50, 240. 9. Warder, 1867:434. fig. 10. Downing, 1869:170. fig. 11. Fitz, 1872:153. 12. Thomas, 1875:200. 13. Barry, 1883:338. 14. Wickson, 1889:244. 15. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:290. 16. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:239. 17. Budd-Hansen, 1903:81. fig.
SYNONYMS. FALL WINE (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17). House (10). Hower (10). Musk Spice (10). Ohio Wine (7, 10, 13). Sharpe's Spice (7, 10). Sweet Wine (7, 10). Uncle Sam's Best (7, 10). WINE (2). Wine of Cole (4).
Fruit medium or above, bright red, attractive; in season from September to early winter. The tree is of medium size with rather drooping branches, moderately vigorous, healthy, moderately long-lived and yields good to heavy crops biennially. The fruit is apt to drop to a considerable extent before it is fully mature. It is very tender, not a good shipper and not a desirable commercial variety. It is not much valued for culinary use but it is generally esteemed wherever it is known on account of its excellent dessert qualities. It is not recommended for commercial planting in New York.
Fall Wine should not be confused with Twenty Ounce which in some sections of New York is known under the name of Wine apple. It is also quite distinct from the true Wine which is a large, showy apple that ripens in midautumn and often keeps well through the winter.²
Historical. The origin of this variety is unknown. Elliott (4) says that it was introduced into the West from the garden of Judge Jonathan Buel, Albany, N. Y., about 1832. It has been a favorite variety in many parts of the Middle West but has not been extensively cultivated in New York and is now seldom or never planted in this state.
FRUIT. Fruit medium or above. Form roundish oblate, somewhat ribbed; sides often unequal. Stem medium to rather long. Cavity obtuse to somewhat acute, wide, shallow to moderately deep, sometimes lipped. Calyx small to medium, closed or partly open; lobes long, narrow, reflexed. Basin deep, wide or medium in width, rather abrupt, furrowed. Skin clear yellow washed with red which on the exposed cheek deepens to a beautiful bright blush, indistinctly striped with carmine. Dots yellowish-brown or russet. Calyx tube long, narrow, funnel-form. Stamens median. Core medium, axile; cells symmetrical, closed or slightly open; core lines clasping. Carpels broadly roundish, tufted. Seeds medium size, rather wide, acute. Flesh tinged with yellow, tender, juicy, aromatic, very mild subacid or almost sweet; very good for dessert but only fair for culinary use.
Season September to January.
¹ See description of Twenty Ounce, page 227. ² See description of Wine apple in Volume I of this Report, page 373.
— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)Fall Wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M | rob | ry | B | f | a | 4* | 12* | 2*
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Fall Wine.
Sweet Wine, Wine, of Cole, Uncle Sam's Best. Ohio Wine, Sharpe's Spice,
American: its origin unknown; introduced West from the garden of Judge Buel, Albany, about 1832. Tree, of slender, slow growth; drooping when in bearing state; very healthy; producing moderately, but annually, large, beautiful fruit on the rich Western soils, and fruit of medium size on soils of moderate quality. Our figure exhibits from the two soils. It is now much grown in Indiana and Illinois, as "Wine," from which it is quite distinct.
Size, medium to large; form, roundish, flattened; color, rich red marbled over clear yellow, and with many spots or specks of brownish—sometimes it is faintly striped; stem, slender; cavity, deep; calyx, half closed; basin, open, shallow; flesh, yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, delicious, sub-acid, vinous. September to November.
Although evidently an old Eastern fruit, it appears now unknown there, if we except the short description made of it by Cole, and his notice of where grown.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Fall Wine.* Medium to large, roundish-oblate; color a rich red, faintly striped on a rich yellow skin; stem slender; flesh yellow, crisp, tender, juicy, with a mild, rich, scarcely sub-acid flavor. Mid-autumn till winter. Fig. 382. Succeeds best in the West—often scabby at the East.